What does enteral mean?
Enteral is an adjective used almost exclusively in medical and nutritional contexts to describe anything connected with the intestine or delivered through the gastrointestinal tract. Its most common modern application is in clinical nutrition: enteral feeding or enteral nutrition means supplying food, fluids, or medication via the digestive system — whether swallowed normally or given through a tube such as a nasogastric or gastrostomy tube. This contrasts directly with parenteral delivery, in which nutrients are infused intravenously and the gut is bypassed altogether. Clinicians favour the enteral route whenever the bowel is working, since it sustains the intestinal lining, supports the gut microbiome, and avoids the catheter-related infections associated with IV lines. Derived from Greek enteron, meaning intestine, the word shares its root with terms like enteric and enteritis. Though technical, it is essential vocabulary for anyone reading about hospital care or clinical nutrition.
adjectiveRelating to or involving the intestine; especially, of nutrition or drug administration, delivered via the gastrointestinal tract (typically by mouth or feeding tube) rather than intravenously.
- Of or relating to the intestines or the gastrointestinal tract generally.
- Of nutrition, fluids, or medication: administered through the digestive tract, as by mouth or feeding tube, rather than intravenously.
"The patient was switched from parenteral to enteral feeding once her digestive system recovered."
"Enteral nutrition is preferred whenever the gut is functional because it maintains the intestinal lining and carries fewer infectious risks."
"The nurse confirmed the position of the nasogastric tube before beginning the enteral feed."
In medicine, 'enteral' literally just means 'through the gut' — so the difference between enteral and parenteral feeding is the difference between using the intestine and skipping it entirely with an IV line.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enteral
Enteral derives from the Greek word 'enteron', meaning intestine or bowel, combined with the adjectival suffix '-al'. It entered scientific English through New Latin usage, becoming established as medical vocabulary during the nineteenth century as physiology and clinical medicine developed more precise terminology for digestion and nutrition. It shares its Greek root with related medical words such as enteric, enteritis, and dysentery, all of which likewise concern the intestine.
Related word forms
How enteral is actually used
A clinical and technical term found chiefly in medical, nursing, and nutritional literature; it is rare in everyday conversation. It is most frequently used attributively before nouns such as 'nutrition', 'feeding', or 'route'. The contrast with 'parenteral' is central to its use in practice.
Easily confused with enteral
Parenteral means the opposite — delivery of nutrients or drugs by a route bypassing the gut, such as intravenous injection — while enteral specifically means delivery through the gastrointestinal tract.